Friday, September 04, 2009 Reginald FieldsPlain Dealer Bureau ChiefColumbus- U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a longtime gambling opponent, called out Gov. Ted Strickland on Thursday for flipping his position on gambling and authorizing slot machine betting at Ohio racetracks. Voinovich, speaking during a news conference called to oppose the slots plan and a separate casino issue, raised his voice, pounded a lectern and twice referred to God as the source that has helped opponents beat back every prior attempt at full-fledged gambling here. Strickland's office responded, saying the Democratic governor knew he would be criticized but offers no apologies for making the tough call for slots to help balance Ohio's budget.
Voinovich, a former Ohio governor and Cleveland mayor, recalled how Strickland joined him in 2006 to oppose a gambling ballot proposal and came out against another gambling proposal just last year, saying it was bad for Ohio families and not the route to economic recovery. Strickland's plan, backed by the state legislature and approved in July, legalizes up to 17,500 slot machines at Ohio's seven horse-racing tracks under the authority of the Ohio Lottery. "Based on his past comments, he knows this is not in the best interest of Ohio families," Voinovich charged. "These slots will run 24 hours a day and be available to even people who aren't old enough to buy alcoholic beverages. "And I think he's got to understand," the Republican senator continued, "that when it comes to gambling, you can't be half-pregnant. The expansion of the lottery is opening the door to full-blown gambling in this state." Strickland's office took Voinovich's criticism in stride, saying it had few other options for balancing the budget for the next two years in light of Ohio's depressing economic outlook. Strickland is counting on the slots plan to bring in $933 million between now and June 2011. "The world changed tremendously about a year ago with the collapse of Lehman Brothers when Ohio began to face a lingering national recession which led to a shortfall in this state," said Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst.
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http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/09/sen_george_voinovich_blasts_sl.html
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